Topical Bible: The Ox was Fed with Grass

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Topical Encyclopedia

The phrase "The Ox was Fed with Grass" refers to a significant event in the life of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, as recorded in the Book of Daniel. This event is a vivid illustration of divine judgment and the humbling of human pride. The account is found in Daniel 4, where Nebuchadnezzar experiences a dramatic transformation as a result of his arrogance and failure to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.

Biblical Account

In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream that none of his wise men can interpret. Daniel, known for his God-given ability to interpret dreams, is called upon to explain the vision. The dream involves a great tree that is cut down, leaving only the stump. Daniel reveals that the tree represents Nebuchadnezzar himself, and the dream is a warning from God. The king will be driven away from human society and will live among the animals, eating grass like an ox, until he acknowledges that "the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes" (Daniel 4:25).

The prophecy is fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar's sanity is taken from him, and he is driven from his palace to live in the fields. Daniel 4:33 states, "At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from mankind, ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird."

Theological Significance

This event serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and the futility of human pride. Nebuchadnezzar, one of the most powerful rulers of the ancient world, is reduced to a state of bestial existence to demonstrate that all authority and power are ultimately subject to God's will. The transformation of the king into a beast-like state symbolizes the degradation that comes from exalting oneself above God.

The narrative also highlights the theme of repentance and restoration. After a period of seven times (often interpreted as seven years), Nebuchadnezzar's sanity is restored when he lifts his eyes to heaven and praises the Most High. Daniel 4:34-35 records his confession: "But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I blessed the Most High and praised and glorified Him who lives forever: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'"

Historical and Cultural Context

Nebuchadnezzar II reigned as king of Babylon from 605 to 562 BC and is known for his military conquests and the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. His reign marked the height of Babylonian power and influence. The account of his humbling is unique in ancient literature, as it portrays a powerful monarch acknowledging the supremacy of a foreign deity, the God of Israel.

The imagery of eating grass like an ox is significant in the ancient Near Eastern context, where kings were often depicted as shepherds of their people, responsible for their welfare and prosperity. Nebuchadnezzar's transformation into a creature that feeds on grass underscores his loss of authority and the reversal of his kingly role.

Lessons for Believers

The account of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling serves as a cautionary tale for believers about the dangers of pride and self-reliance. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's authority in all aspects of life and the need for humility before Him. The account also offers hope for restoration and redemption, as seen in Nebuchadnezzar's eventual acknowledgment of God's sovereignty and his subsequent restoration to power.

This narrative encourages believers to trust in God's ultimate control over the affairs of nations and individuals, reminding them that true wisdom and understanding come from acknowledging and submitting to His divine will.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 40:15
Behold now behemoth, which I made with you; he eats grass as an ox.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 106:20
Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eats grass.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Daniel 4:25
That they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever he will.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Prophet of Fire
... brooks, in the hope that we may find grass, so that ... hundred by fifties in a cave
and fed them continually ... take two oxen; let them choose one ox for themselves ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the prophet of fire.htm

He Compares the Doctrine of the Platonists Concerning the Logos ...
... towards Egypt, and prostrating Thy image"their own soul"before the image "of an
ox that eateth grass." [523] These things found I there; but I fed not on ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter ix he compares the doctrine.htm

A Voice from the Hartley Colliery
... the brute which is content to eat the grass, but never ... I say, to treat thy God worse
than the ox treateth its ... by faith and not by sight, and be fed with manna ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/a voice from the hartley.htm

The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
... He has fed you with the bounties of his providence. ... If the ox had stopped and nibbled
a blade of grass or a piece of hay, why, then he would have been ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the conversion of saul of.htm

Perseverance in Holiness
... He fed them with angels' food; he sheltered them by day from the heat, and at ... a molten
image, and likened the Lord of Glory to an ox that eateth grass. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/perseverance in holiness.htm

The Third Beatitude
... sunflower to the violet hiding among the grass, and making ... The ox that kicks against
the goads only does ... outward condition of the most full-fed abundance, and ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the third beatitude.htm

Second Part of the Book.
... born, they laid Him in a crib before an ox and an ... is fed with bodily food, so the
soul be fed with holy ... Some lived by grass, some by roots, some by spices and ...
/.../second part of the book.htm

Book Seven the Conversion to Neoplatonism. ...
... in their hearts toward Egypt and prostrating thy image (their own soul) before the
image of an ox that eats grass. These things I found there, but I fed not on ...
/.../augustine/confessions and enchiridion/book seven the conversion to.htm

The Evolution of a Father
... the kulan from May to July; the musk-ox at the ... deer sees the light just before the
first grass shoots into ... that the mere sight of his offspring fed instead of ...
/.../the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter ix the evolution of.htm

The Axe at the Root --A Testimony against Puseyite Idolatry
... with rivers of oil, or ten thousand of the fat of fed beasts, he ... they changed their
glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass." Though severely ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 12 1866/the axe at the roota.htm